Tag Archives: democracy

Sink or Climb

The Closer We Get to God, the Closer We Get to One Another

Sr. Erin Zubal, OSU

June 23, 2026

Earlier this year, my fellow Ohioan and Vice President of the United States J.D. Vance said of the direction of our country: “You don’t turn the Titanic around overnight.”

I believe the term for this is “telling on yourself.” After all, watching the direction of our country over the last year and a half has certainly produced “that sinking feeling.” It should remind all of us that, in times such as these, we should seek authentic spiritual grounding, caring community, and meaningful, Spirit-filled action.

For many Catholics, spiritual grounding in large part can mean tapping into the Gospel via the “new Pentecost” of the Second Vatican Council. The reception of the council in this country sparked the founding of NETWORK with Pope Paul VI declaring involvement in politics a “constitutive dimension” of spreading the Gospel.

We must also hold each other close in community. Vatican II urged us to form bonds of relationship and cooperation with all believers. NETWORK carries this forward as well in our ministry as we educate, organize, and lobby for social, economic, and racial justice and equity in our world.

Growing up in the Midwest, I witnessed these values lived out a different way. When Catholics got involved in politics, it was to champion one or two issues that made it very easy for them to see themselves as naturally fitting in with a political agenda. And the most visible witness of Catholics joining with other Christians was to lobby for those same issues, whether in local marches or by the busload in Washington, D.C.

Now many Catholics—including our Vice President—cheer on the Trump administration as masked and hooded figures terrify and murder people in the street in broad daylight; gut access to affordable health care and food for millions of people; defy the last two popes; and mock the values of charity, justice, mercy, humility, and practically every other sign of Christ lived out in the world.

I am rarely hopeless; it is not how I am wired. But lately, even I have questioned what the future holds and how will we, as a country, be able to right the ship.

The Transfiguration by Giovanni Girolamo Savoldo, c. 1530

In ecumenical dialogues, there’s a famous image of a mountain with Jesus at the top and different Christian denominations scaling up the sides. The closer we get to the top, the closer we are to one another. With the divisive politics of our country, we might question if our fellow believers and Americans have sunk to the bottom of the mountain — or are perhaps scaling another mountain altogether, one of cultural dominance, Christian nationalism, and earthly power.

As we strive for political accountability, an end to the horrors of oppression and inequity, and a future reflective of the common good, we too must be grounded in our source of unity, peace, and universal belonging. There’s no way around the challenges that face us in this country, but we can go up. We must go up.

When we embrace the idea of scaling a holy mountain rather than succumb to the despairing image of a sinking ship, we equip ourselves for the justice journey ahead. When we draw nearer to the God who sustains us, we can call with confidence on the gifts of the Spirit who fills our hearts and guides our actions.

Sr. Erin Zubal, OSU, is an Ursuline Sister of Cleveland and NETWORK’s Chief of Staff. This column originally appeared in the Quarter 2 2026 issue of NETWORK’s Connection magazine.

Courage in the Face of Cruelty

We Have the Power to Refuse Fear

Giovana Oaxaca

June 16, 2026

Our society is living through what many view as a deep moral crisis. In an era when armed and masked agents employ aggressive tactics to arrest people in and at their homes and neighborhoods—even resulting in the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good—the stakes for our shared future could not be higher.

The tendency to justify state-sanctioned violence—whether through harsh detention practices, excessive force, or sweeping mass deportation policies that uproot families—stands in direct contradiction to the common good. Courage in the face of cruelty is becoming central to the moral and spiritual lives of people across many traditions, and faith-rooted solidarity movements are catalyzing a kind of social and spiritual renewal, offering spaces for grief, hope, and action.

Organizing programs, advocacy campaigns, and in-person gatherings have become essential outlets for people seeking to engage in nonviolent resistance. The Catholic-led Season of Faithful Witness vigils and the secular No Kings Day, to name two examples, have generated sustained opportunities for solidarity and deeper engagement, with historic turnout.

We are witnessing responses that challenge the flawed assumption that societies must be governed through fear. Instead, these movements reflect a conviction that pluralistic
governance—not intimidation—is the surest way to build a society where the gifts of God’s creation are shared among all for the thriving of all.

Yet fear persists. Some politicians count on the brutalization of both citizens and non-citizens to suppress dissent and quicken the end-goal of mass deportations. Families with legal immigration uncertainty have gone deeper into hiding.

A plethora of cruel policies utilize fear to make their point. They include messaging campaigns that threaten families with harsh consequences for not self-deporting (i.e. Project Homecoming); degrading and inhumane treatment in detention centers; practices that strip immigrants of lawful temporary status; and bureaucratic delays that prevent people from sustaining their livelihoods. They send one harmful message: cruelty is an acceptable tool. When online trolling by official government accounts, dehumanizing rhetoric, and the invocation of wartime legal powers are added to that mix, the effect is to further normalize authoritarian impulses and diminish the dignity owed to every person.

Faith leaders, institutions, and organizations have long urged a balance between legitimate public safety and compassion for individuals and communities. This is one of three central principles of Catholic Social Teaching on immigration.

St. Thomas Aquinas said, “Mercy without justice is the mother of dissolution; [and] justice without mercy is cruelty.” History shows that when enforcement operates without checks, the risks of abuse rise. The current overreach is straight out of the Authoritarian Playbook and is fundamentally incompatible with Catholic teaching.

Fear is antithetical to a free and open society. When it becomes a widespread political tool, public discourse is distorted by misinformation, panic, and sensational claims. These distract from pressing issues such as affordable housing, accessible health care, and long-term solutions for undocumented people living in the shadows.

Fear of immigrants is a flimsy excuse to propose legislation to threaten Americans’ freedoms further. Bills such as the SAVE America Act and Make Elections Great Again Act would prevent millions of eligible U.S. citizens from voting. This is a sign of how fear is poisoning the discourse around actual solutions to repair broken trust in elections.

As a Catholic and person of conscience, I lament systems that harm families, weaken civil rights, or undermine community life. Yet “lament” is not the final word. Across traditions, faith teaches that people possess agency. We have the power to refuse fear, reject cruelty, to stand together, and to insist on the inherent dignity of every person.

Ultimately, our collective power, guided by moral conviction, has always been the force that bends societies back toward justice. Fear holds only as much power as we grant it.

Giovana Oaxaca is NETWORK’s Senior Government Relations Manager. This column originally appeared in the Quarter 2 2026 issue of NETWORK’s Connection magazine.

From Encounter to Accountability

With Midterms Looming, Justice-Seekers Hold Lawmakers to Account

Laura Peralta-Schulte, Peg Butner, Anne Murphy, Paula Cruickshank, and Nancy McBride present a 100 percent certificate to Rep. Don Beyer (VA-08) for his perfect score on NETWORK’s 2025 Voting Record.

Don Clemmer
June 2, 2026

When Tiffin Franciscan Sisters Marge Eilerman, Angie Keil, and Shirley Shafranek visited the Toledo office of Ohio Senator Jon Husted, they knew they weren’t the bearers of good news. But they went all the same. Senator Husted had received a score of only 17 percent on NETWORK’s 2025 Voting Record, meaning he had voted with NETWORK on only one out of six vote recommendations.

(This was the “TAKE IT DOWN Act,” criminalizing nonconsensual distribution of sexually explicit “deepfake” images online. This bill passed the Senate unanimously and is the reason no Republican Senator scored below a 14 percent.)

The sisters met with Laura Brode, the Senator’s office manager in Toledo, and presented the Voting Record, recalls Sr. Marge.

“We spoke to her about immigration issues, the SAVE America Act [a voter suppression bill opposed this year by NETWORK], and addressed the reality that Senator Husted uses the same form letter to respond to every e-mail or letter. I do give her a lot of credit for returning my phone call.”

This visit exemplifies the work of accountability that many justice-seekers, Catholics, and other people of goodwill alike, are working diligently to ensure this election cycle. The 2026 midterms come at a turbulent time that could have far-reaching political implications.

“Our country has been repeatedly diminished by this administration’s chaos, corruption, and cruelty,” said NETWORK Executive Director Laurie Carafone in a memo on Jan. 20, the first anniversary of President Trump’s return to office. “Under his leadership and direction, our health care, food, and public services were ripped away in order to pay for lavish billionaire tax giveaways. He has stoked war and violence abroad and unleashed masked deportation forces in communities across the country, disappearing our neighbors and sowing violence and division. President Trump has left us—our families, neighborhoods, schools, hospitals, and more—worse off.”

Rebekah Rivera, Mary Schultz, and Pam Lafflin present a 100 percent certificate to Rep. Sylvia Garcia (TX-29) for her perfect score on NETWORK’s 2025 Voting Record.

Affirmations and obstacles

Against this volatile backdrop, members of NETWORK’s field have been letting their lawmakers know how they measure up on the justice issues that define a Catholic Social Justice approach to politics. Sometimes challenging, these visits have also been described as “very friendly and cordial” and even as a “most wonderful opportunity to build community.” But they also lay the groundwork for the intensive advocacy for accountability that Catholic Social Justice demands this election year.

Michigan advocate Al Weilbaecher visited with staffer Jeremy Blatt in Senator Elissa Slotkin’s office. The Senator was one of 12 Democrats who voted, against NETWORK’s recommendation, for the Laken Riley Act, which mandates the unnecessary apprehension and detention of undocumented immigrants convicted of or only arrested for certain crimes, including low–level misdemeanor offenses. This lone vote kept Senator Slotkin from scoring a 100 percent. (She scored an 86.)

NETWORK Senior Government Relations Manager Giovana Oaxaca has noted the terror of immigration policy under the Trump administration, as “many people feel they cannot safely go to work, school, the doctor, or even church.” Weilbaecher noted that Blatt was not defensive and shared freely with him.

“I found it helpful to hear from him what the Senator’s thinking is behind the various issues, what the obstacles are from her point of view, and how she strives to strategize for them,” he said of the encounter. “It was a great opportunity to thank him for what Senator Slotkin has done, to encourage her to continue her many initiatives on our behalf, and to affirm our support verbally in addition to the actual Voting Record.”

Attuned and advocating

On the House side, the 2025 Voting Record also included recommendations against bills that weakened both voting rights (SAVE Act) and environmental protections (PERMIT Act).

“The SAVE Act would mandate American citizens provide proof-of-citizenship documents that many can’t access—like a passport or certified birth certificate—to register to vote or update their registration, such as after a move,” noted NETWORK Senior Government Relations Advocate Min. Christian S. Watkins in March of 2025.

Despite the bill’s failure to move forward after passing the House, voter suppression bills have still emerged in both the House (Make Elections Great Again Act) and the Senate (SAVE America Act).

On environmental protections, NETWORK Senior Government Relations Advocate Drake Starling asserted the need for accountability with lawmakers: “Members of Congress need to hear clearly: Permitting reform should only move forward if it speeds the clean energy transition — not if it expands fossil fuel infrastructure.”

A particularly powerful encounter between advocates and lawmakers occurred in Maryland, where Simone Blanchard, Director of Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation for the Congregation of the Sisters of Bon Secours, accompanied several Sisters to their Congresswoman and both Senators with framed 100 percent certificates.

Blanchard described a welcoming atmosphere with staff interested in learning about NETWORK, getting to know the Sisters, and hearing where the work of their bosses and the advocacy of the Sisters aligned.

“We still need to thank them for that and let them know that we’re paying attention,” said Blanchard. She also noted how many of the staffers they met were Catholic “and how encouraged they were to see us representing the Catholic Church in this way.”

Following one such visit, Rep. Sarah Elfreth’s social media lauded the Sisters and their collaborators: “Thank you for being such incredible local partners and for speaking out for our most vulnerable communities!”

Blanchard credited her Catholic faith for drawing her into these encounters. With the other options being to lash out bitterly or tune out completely, she said, “If I can advocate for policies that are going to help those who are suffering, then I’m going to do it — especially now.”

This story was originally published in the Quarter 2 2026 issue of Connection. See the full 2025 NETWORK Voting Record online.

Erasing the Black Vote

From the Supreme Court and Congress to State Legislatures, the Right to Vote is Consistently Under Attack

Min. Christian S. Watkins
May 15, 2026

My grandmother had to pay poll taxes after she was granted the right to vote. My mother was a Black Panther and community organizer, who still remembers drinking from separate water fountains while fighting for voting rights. They both taught me that voting is sacred. Not because it is somehow a magical fix, but because it is powerful to participate in our own liberation. It is one of the few tools Black communities have held that those in power have consistently tried to limit.

Every generation has faced new strategies designed to narrow participation while preserving the appearance of fairness, and this is our time to live into that rich legacy of overcoming.

In 2026, those strategies continue with renewed force. With the April 29 Louisiana v. Callais decision, the Supreme Court has further weakened key protections of the Voting Rights Act, opening the door for state legislatures to redraw districts in ways that decimates Black political power and the influence of other communities of color, which they have begun to do with ruthless ferocity.

African American male holding right fist in the air and protest sign in front of U.S. Supreme Court Building

Min. Christian S. Watkins at the “Protect Birthright Citizenship” protest in front of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington D.C.

This devastating blow and its fallout, which threatens to wipe out Black representation in Congress and state houses, especially in the South, are only part of the picture. At the same time, Congress has failed to restore protections, even as restrictive voting laws spread across the country. New federal and state-level proposals raise additional concerns.

Efforts to create national “verified voter” systems or impose stricter documentation requirements for registration are framed as security measures. In practice, these “show your papers” policies risk excluding those least likely to have ready access to passports or birth certificates: disproportionately Black, Brown, low-income, and naturalized citizens. These policies—as well as the disastrous Supreme Court decision—do not exist in a vacuum. They reflect longstanding patterns of exclusion dressed in new language.

Voting alone will not solve every injustice, but without it, the communities most affected by injustice are pushed even further from the decisions that shape their lives.

So, the task before us is clear. We must prepare, participate, and protect the vote:

Check and update your voter registration early and help others do the same.
Make a concrete plan to vote—early is preferable, but safely by mail or on Election Day if necessary.
Follow all instructions carefully if voting by mail and return ballots promptly.
Learn your rights and share voter protection resources within your community.
Support election integrity by volunteering as a poll worker or nonpartisan monitor.

These actions are practical, but they are also moral. Catholic Social Teaching reminds us that participation in public life is a form of charity because it shapes the conditions in which people either flourish or struggle. When access to the ballot is restricted, it is not just a procedural issue—it is a wound to human dignity and the common good.

Diverse group of faith leaders holding protest signs and in "selfie" style at a protest.

Min. Christian S. Watkins (right) and fellow faith leaders at the “Faithful Resistance” protest in Washington D.C.

Voting is not the whole of democracy, but it is one of its load-bearing walls. Without it, accountability weakens and exclusion deepens. With it, we create the possibility—however imperfect—of a more just and inclusive society.

In my own work, and in the mission of NETWORK, voting rights remain central because they sit at the intersection of so many struggles—racial justice, economic equity, and the fight against concentrated power. I carry both the weight of history and the hope of my faith: that every person is endowed with dignity and has a rightful voice in shaping our shared future.

The question before us is not simply whether we will vote. It is whether we will defend the conditions that make voting meaningful for everyone. That work requires persistence, solidarity, and a refusal to accept disenfranchisement as inevitable.

Min. Christian S. Watkins is NETWORK’s Senior Government Relations Advocate.

Our Map to a Better World

The Common Good Can Guide Us When All Feels Uncertain

Laurie Carafone
May 13, 2026

Laurie Carafone

As we weather the daily barrage of cruel and chaotic news defining our current politics and culture — war, family separations, economic chaos, and more — it’s easy to feel lost, and it can be hard to see a clear path forward. We all yearn to get to a better place.

What will it mean for people of faith and goodwill to engage genuinely and meaningfully with the myriad social and moral issues — some would say crises — as we approach the midterm elections? Listening and dialoguing with NETWORK colleagues, the road that rises to meet our feet is both awe-inspiring and daunting. But we trust it leads to a better place, a future where everyone is caring and cared for.

Catholic Social Justice proclaims a world where every human need is inextricably entwined, weaving a stunning tapestry of human thriving: affordable health care, food, and housing; living wages; a healthy planet; and just and humane treatment of our neighbors. These issues are at the core of NETWORK’s “An Economy for All” policy agenda, but many U.S. Catholics aren’t fully aware of the rich treasure of the tradition more formally known as Catholic Social Teaching.

Some call it a well-kept secret, but this body of teaching offers a map we can use with confidence toward a better world — we can follow its wise tenets to inform how we engage in times like these. How are we called to witness and take action together in the public square? Catholic Social Justice is not a theory or an intellectual exercise, but rather a blessedly simple and clear map of how people of faith are called to live the Gospel in our world — even for those of us who can’t read a map! It can save our lives.

A woman with short hair and glasses speaks at a podium; a quote about Catholic Social Justice and midterm elections appears beside her on a colorful background.

NETWORK’s Executive Director, Laurie Carafone speaking at the Multi-Faith Earth Day celebration.

When Catholic Social Justice is not centered in political or daily life, even believers may vote like so many of us do: along predictable party lines. Centering Catholic Social Justice helps us pause and consider candidates’ positions: will they support laws that alleviate poverty and increase access to health care and housing? Or will the candidate support measures that push these basic essentials even more out of reach for our families and communities?

This year marks the 40th anniversary of “Economic Justice for All,” the landmark pastoral letter by the U.S. bishops on Catholic Social Teaching and the U.S. economy, including poverty, unemployment, and hunger. Reading the signs of their times, the bishops noted:

“Many middle-class Americans feel themselves in the grip of economic demands and cultural pressures that go far beyond the individual family’s capacity to cope.” (paragraph 23) Revisiting the letter is an opportunity for many people—not just Catholics—to connect anew with the tenets of Catholic Social Justice and how they can guide our actions to ensure the common good.

Forty years after the letter was issued, we know that most families can no longer live on a single income, often struggling even with two. We also recognize that some business and government leaders keep finding more immoral and devastating ways to burden working people, all to line their own pockets and advance corrupt and anti-democratic purposes.

But we can find stillness in this chaos. We have the power to speak the truth: that wealth and profit need not be at the center of our world. Building the common good can and should be.

A collection of images showing people of different backgrounds holding signs, conveying powerful messages and unity.

NETWORK advocates at multi-state “We The People” mini-rally events

As we live out these convictions, our Spirit-filled field has been busy at work, visiting their legislators with the 2025 NETWORK Voting Record, having hard conversations, and showing lawmakers the powerful map we hold — and asking them to come with us.

These personal encounters are leading to connections, encouragement, and accountability. Catholic Social Justice inspires us to advocate fiercely now and into the coming months as we approach the midterm elections. Through the murky fog of lies, disappointment, cruelty, and corruption, we can follow our map, trust each step, and walk toward the light of that better place.

Together, we will find our way home.

Laurie Carafone, J.D., ThM, is Executive Director of NETWORK. This “Spirited Sisters” column originally appeared in the Quarter 2 2026 issue of NETWORK’s Connection magazine.

Feast or Fascism

Authoritarian and Economic Oppression Perpetuate One Another, and Catholic Social Justice Offers the Antidote

NETWORK Executive Director Laurie Carafone stands with NETWORK Fellow Ralph McCloud at the October 30 People’s Pantry event in front of the USDA in Washington. NETWORK, Federal Unionist Network, Indivisible, and Free DC sponsored the event in solidarity with federal employees and people across the country who are suffering.

Don Clemmer
March 10, 2026

The first year of the second Trump administration saw an alarming abandonment of the traditional checks and balances that have guarded against the descent of U.S. democracy into an authoritarian state. These included brazenly illegal acts by the executive branch with no oversight or accountability; aggressively cruel immigration enforcement designed to strike terror in communities; targeted prosecutions of President Trump’s political adversaries; and countless other offenses.

But alongside these horrors, another factor surfaced time and again: the economic oppression that accompanies the corruption and intentional inequity of an authoritarian regime. Whether it’s the shutdown of USAID, trillions in tax cuts for the ultra–wealthy while gutting food and healthcare programs from the federal budget, or the invasion of a sovereign country while openly planning to harvest its oil reserves, the consolidation of absolute power is both a cause and effect of the stratospheric divide between the ultra-rich and everyone else.

“We’re in big trouble,” Pope Leo said about the prospect of Elon Musk becoming the world’s first trillionaire. Following the stunning election of a U.S.–born pope, the first major teaching document from Pope Leo XIV focused on love for people impacted by poverty. In that document, Dilexi Te, the pope cites the words of Pope Francis about economic inequity: “A new tyranny is being born, invisible and often virtual, which unilaterally and relentlessly imposes its own laws and rules.”

‘Made poor’

“Almost all people in the U.S. have experienced dehumanization from our nation’s current systems of community–harming oppression. Their main tools are fear, scarcity, and isolation,” says NETWORK Executive Director Laurie Carafone. She notes that the right–wing media ecosystem pushes narratives promoting resource hoarding, hatred, racism, sexism, and xenophobia. The cultural fallout has been predictably disastrous.

Jennifer Stallbaumer-Rouyer

“We are made poor when we no longer see our neighbor as ourselves; when we no longer allow ourselves to be open to seeing our own poverty and when we physically isolate those society identifies as materially poor,” says says Jennifer Stallbaumer–Rouyer, a social worker and NETWORK advocate in Kansas City, Missouri. “When we look behind this person, however, we see an entire system that perpetuates poverty and the lies that accompany it.”

“Most troubling to me is the obvious effort to demonize immigrants,” says Sr. Beatrice Haines, OLVM, based in Hungtington, Indiana. She sees this as a clear “effort to disparage people of color and create an ‘us versus them’ situation. ‘They then are perceived as the cause of my economic situation.” She cites the passage of the GOP’s “Big Bad Budget Bill” as one bitter fruit of this narrative.

NETWORK Fellow Ralph McCloud, who led the Catholic Campaign for Human Development—the U.S. bishops’ domestic anti–poverty program—for 16 years, has encountered attitudes against marginalized communities and sees clearly how they manifest in U.S. politics.

“There is the temptation that God intends for people to be poor, minorities to be separate, wars to happen, famine to exist, and that it is all happening because it is God’s will and there is nothing that can be done. So we live in apathy, despair, and, in some cases, pious and devout glee.”

“Almost all people in the U.S. have experienced dehumanization from
our nation’s current systems of community–harming oppression.”
-Laurie Carafone, NETWORK Executive Director

Letting these attitudes fester in politics and culture, McCloud says, directly led to the erosion of the foundational systems of U.S. democracy.

“We neglected to recognize that our systems are so fragile that without intentional and deliberate care, authoritarian and selfish stakeholders can attack them and strategically place themselves in positions of power that can destroy decades of progress and erase significant gains.”

The pope and some hope

As the leading American voice providing a moral vision on the world stage, Pope Leo offers hope with his witness and a critique of the ideas that have enabled the dangerous state of his
home country’s political moment.

“At a time when we see a rise in Christian nationalist sentiment in the U.S. and we are seeing domestic hunger and the number of people who can no longer afford healthcare increase … it is crucial that a clear moral teaching about poverty come from the highest authority in the church,” says Lexington, Kentucky Bishop John Stowe, OFM Conv. “Our English–speaking pope has provided a document … with crystal clarity for American readers that asserts … that indifference to people in need anywhere in the world is contrary to our faith.”

Perhaps most crucially, Pope Leo directly takes on the economic philosophies that have led this government to abdicate its responsibility to promote the thriving of all people through policy.

“At times, pseudo–scientific data are invoked to support the claim that a free market economy will automatically solve the problem of poverty,” the pope writes in Dilexi Te. He adds, “[A]lmsgiving does not absolve the competent authorities of their responsibilities, eliminate the duty of government institutions to care for the poor, or detract from rightful efforts to ensure justice.”

Committing U.S. politics to a sense of the common good and universal solidarity, necessary to defeating an authoritarian regime, requires the same actions as taking on fascism directly.

“Countering all this destruction fueled by fear, scapegoating, and isolation requires real efforts to forge strong community,” says Carafone.

Rooted in her community, Stallbaumer–Rouyer hasn’t given up on the prospect of recovering a better politics.

“I have hope for re–imagining something different that can be forged out of recognition, repentance, reconciliation, and solidarity. This work is a marathon, not a sprint,” she says. “If we look beyond ourselves and our given situation, we might just see a flash of abundance, not scarcity. We will see that we are all in need of care and filling up.”

This story was originally published in the Quarter 1 2026 issue of Connection.

Meeting This Moral Moment

The Stakes for Our Democracy Will Demand What NETWORK Has to Offer

Laurie Carafone
February 27, 2026

Last year was an unimaginably tough year for anyone who loves and cherishes the promise of an inclusive and pluralistic democracy, as the U.S. has at different times aspired to be. We experienced a daily deluge of immoral, racist, and oppressive government actions, unleashed
by an administration whose recklessness and cruel policy agenda are an assault on the values that NETWORK and justice–seekers everywhere hold dear.

We are living history, and the NETWORK community must—and will—meet the moment in 2026. We are clear–eyed and speak the truth of what is happening: the Trump administration is rapidly consolidating authoritarian power to shamelessly enrich themselves and the corporations and billionaires who bend the knee and take from the people.

The three branches of our government are meant to ensure a check on executive power. But Congress and the Supreme Court are allowing unchecked presidential power to drag our
country toward dictatorship. We know there is another way. With a functioning democracy, we can and will have the collective capacity to achieve policies that support ourselves, our
families, and our communities so that everyone can thrive.

NETWORK is reading the signs of the times and knows the stakes. Our north star is—and has been for a half century—our foundresses’ mission to effect federal policy change for the common good. This advocacy can only continue to be effective if we have a functioning democracy, one where lawmakers are responsive to the people—including our community of advocates—rather than to an authoritarian leader.

Our work in 2026 cannot be business as usual. We need to do our part to save democracy with a focus on power building, policy impacts, voter engagement, free and fair elections, and a
peaceful transition of power. If we lose our democracy to dictatorship, we lose the conditions necessary for NETWORK to do our sacred work for good. With all of you, we will meet this
existential moment.

We know we are prepared because of all you have shownup over and over again for justice. Throughout last year’s chaos, you, our NETWORK community, responded with clarity and
resolve. You are a wise, outspoken, and emphatic moral voice with the proven integrity and expertise that so many people in our country rely on and trust. At every turn, you met this moral moment — advocating for policies that protect human dignity, organizing and accompanying members of your community, amplifying our Spirit–filled message, and directly supporting and sustaining us in our work.

There is much to do in this midterm election year, with so much at stake for our issues and our democracy. The poet Mary Oliver, in her poem “The Summer Day,” writes, “Tell me, what else should I have done?… Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”

At NETWORK, we are going to make the most of our lives in 2026, together. We will not do anything alone — it will take many people and organizations doing their own part to succeed. But we must do our part with a clear understanding of our gifts and goals. So what is ours to do as NETWORK?

First, we need to reach more Catholics — calling in all who value living in a free society, no matter what other policy positions or beliefs we hold. We need to communicate clearly and effectively, grounding our work in the Catholic Social Justice teaching that undergirds all of NETWORK’s values.

Second, we need to strengthen our advocacy effectiveness to respond to this unique moment. We will need to train and focus our advocates on strategic actions essential to preserving
democracy.

Third, we need to continue our core issues advocacy. It is critical that we keep this going so that we can pressure lawmakers to stave off further harm and prepare the way for gains we can make when we have a functioning three-branch government.

We know that our country needs what NETWORK has to offer—not only our advocacy, but the vision of universal human thriving that our policy agenda offers. These are the gifts we offer now, at this moral moment. Thank you for being an essential part of this community, contributing in whatever way is right for you. We are in this together.

Laurie Carafone is Executive Director of NETWORK. This “Spirited Sisters” column originally appeared in the Quarter 1 2026 issue of NETWORK’s Connection magazine.

Lent’s ‘Crosses of Resistance’ — Voting Rights

Ash Wednesday is a Call To Resist the Trampling of Voting Rights

Min. Christian S. Watkins
February 18, 2026

Lent begins with the smudge of ash on our brows and the whispered truth: “Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” In that stark confession, the Church names both our fragility and our belovedness before God.

Yet while Christians prepare to walk this 40-day road of repentance and renewal, congressional Republicans are advancing a different kind of mark, one that would brand millions of citizens at the ballot box. Two bills, the Senate’s SAVE America Act (S.3752) and the House’s Make Election Great Again (MEGA) Act (H.R.7300), carry on the egregious legacy of the stalled SAVE Act (H.R.22) and its promotion of a “show your papers” regime.

These bills force eligible voters to present proof of citizenship in person to register to vote, update their registration, and in some cases even to cast a ballot. This functionally eliminates online and mail-in registration and sabotages voter registration drives.

More info: How the SAVE Act would disenfranchise rural voters (Center for American Progress)

The House’s MEGA Act also piles on restrictive photo ID requirements, bans universal vote-by-mail, and mandates aggressive voter roll purges every 30 days, ending long-standing protections against last-minute disenfranchisement. This would hand the federal government sweeping power to decide which citizens get to participate in our democracy.

Catholic Social Teaching names participation in public life, including voting, as a moral duty flowing from the dignity of the human person and our call to the common good. Any law that weaponizes bureaucracy against people in poverty, the young, Black and brown communities, and those without stable housing stands in direct opposition to that duty.

During Lent, the prophets condemn those “who trample on the needy, and bring to ruin the poor of the land.” The SAVE 2.0 and MEGA Acts are part of a coordinated effort to trample voting itself. This is not about preventing the rare noncitizen vote; it is about manufacturing distrust so that a shrinking minority can cling to power.

We have seen the Trump administration escalating demands for sensitive voter data—including a push tied to the atrocities carried out in Minnesota—while federal law enforcement has targeted election records in Fulton County, Georgia.

The Gospel calls us to repent of the country’s long history of racist voter suppression, to organize, accompany, and advocate so that every eligible neighbor can vote without fear or unnecessary obstacle. This is as important as feeding the hungry or visiting the incarcerated person.

The ballot is not a perk for the well-resourced. It is part of the dignity of the human person in public life – a way for our leaders and policies to represent us. When lawmakers criminalize paperwork mistakes, punish election officials for doing their jobs, and build systems that block working people, elders, students, disabled voters, and low-income families, they are not strengthening democracy.

As we journey toward Easter, we proclaim a crucified and risen Christ who breaks chains, not ballots; who opens doors, not shutters them; who pours out the Spirit so that every voice can testify. Will we consent to new crosses laid upon the backs of the poor in the voting booth, or will we shoulder the cross of resistance and insist that our laws reflect God’s liberating love?

Take Action with NETWORK: Help us resist legislation that denies voting rights to all eligible voters. Call your Senators and let them know that these bills must not pass! Call this number: (202) 915-4877.

Min. Christian S. Watkins is NETWORK’s Senior Government Relations Advocate.

Protecting Our Vote Protects Our Future

It’s Time to Look Toward Midterm Elections, Where the Real Work Toward Preserving and Protecting Democracy Happens

Mia Lazo
November 5, 2025

With the 2025 off-year elections behind us and the 2026 midterm elections just one year away, it’s a good time to start looking ahead to next year’s election.

It may be easy to dismiss midterm elections as less important than presidential elections. But midterms are where so much of the real work of democracy happens. Governors, senators, representatives, mayors, and local officials all make decisions that ripple through our daily lives. Whether it is health care, education, housing, or infrastructure, these choices impact us directly.

Mia Lazo

Today, threats to voting are real, starting with barriers to voter registration.

Voter registration is more than paperwork; it is a vital first step toward protecting our democracy and building the common good. The common good depends on broad participation. When more of us are registered and engaged, government decisions reflect the needs of the many, not just of the wealthy or politically powerful.

But there are constant efforts to impose burdensome identification requirements to voter registration being proposed by the President, members of Congress, state legislatures, and before regulatory agencies. The single demand of requiring U.S. citizens to show in person a birth certificate, passport, or other document proving citizenship when they register or re-register to vote could bar from voting as many as 21 million U.S. citizens who don’t have these documents readily available. This attacks women, Immigrants, those affected by weather disasters, working people, and those living in rural communities.

Even more troubling, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently banned registering new voters at citizenship ceremonies, a time when new Americans should be most welcomed into democratic life. Add to that the growing restrictions on mail-in ballots, such as reduced drop boxes and stricter ID requirements, and you see the trend: Some of our lawmakers protect the elite by making it harder for so many of us to exercise our basic right to vote.

My family has our own story of what can happen when We the People don’t have a say in our own future. My parents fled to the U.S. to escape the oppressive and corrupt Marcos dictatorship of the Philippines. In 2022, the son of the former dictator was elected president, as the wealthy wanted to protect their interests. While billions of pesos went into fraudulent infrastructure projects, cities living without infrastructure continued to suffer devastating floods. Typhoons damaged farms, roads, and other infrastructure, affecting nearly 907,000 families, or more than 3.4 million people (about the population of Oklahoma). With landslides, flashfloods, electrocution, and drownings, communities saw their homes washed away while those in power enriched the pockets of their billionaire friends. This kind of corruption does not happen in a vacuum; it thrives when leaders face little accountability and when citizens are too discouraged to demand better.

The same risks exist here in the United States. When fewer people vote, including in midterms, entrenched politicians have more room to cater to their donors rather than the communities they represent. Just as Filipino citizens watch their tax dollars vanish into the pockets of the elite, people in the U.S. face leaders who prioritize corporate lobbyists over working families. The connecting thread is clear: Unchecked political power always bends toward self-interest. Voting is how we check it.

Democracy does not collapse in one dramatic moment; it unravels slowly when people disengage, when voters participation falls, and when power ends up in the hands of wealthy elites able to buy figureheads and power centers in the government. By the time citizens realize what they’ve lost, it can be too late.

In Venezuela, democratic institutions were slowly hollowed out, one law and one election at a time. Leaders stacked the courts with loyalists, rewrote the constitution to expand executive power, and silenced opposition through censorship, harassment, and arrests. Elections became hollow performances to legitimize those already in power. The cost to ordinary citizens has been catastrophic. A country once among the wealthiest in South America now suffers from hyperinflation, poverty, and chronic shortages of food, medicine, and electricity. Millions have fled in search of stability, and those who remain endure long lines for basic goods, while corrupt elites live in luxury.

Here in the United States, we still have the tools to prevent that fate. Tanks in the streets may grab headlines, but the quieter erosion of voting rights is the greater danger. That is why registering now to vote for the 2026 midterms matters. Government leaders already line the pockets of their wealthy friends through tax cuts. But every voter registration represents a person who is ready to hold people in power accountable. Every ballot cast is a reminder that this country belongs to all of us, not just the privileged few.

The example of the Philippines shows us what happens when corruption goes unchecked. My family back home knows it more than anyone else. Venezuela reminds us how quickly democracy can unravel. But the U.S. has a chance to choose differently if we show up. So, please check your voter registration, start thinking about your voting plan for next November, and encourage your loved ones, your colleagues, your neighbors, and even the barista who makes your coffee to do the same.

Visit vote411.org to register to vote, check your registration status, and more.

Mia Lazo is an environmental studies major at Mount St. Mary’s University in Los Angeles and a Sr. Carol Coston Fellow in NETWORK’s Young Advocates Leadership Lab (Y.A.L.L).

Hispanic Heritage Promotes Democracy and Dignity

My Responsibility is to Help Build a Future Where We All Have a Share in the Decisions That Shape Our Destiny

Jonathan Alcantara
October 6, 2025

For Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15-October 15), NETWORK’s Sr. Carol Coston Fellows share their thoughts on the importance of this observance in the U.S. The following is Part 2 of a two-part reflection by Jonathan Alcantara of Marquette University. (Read Part 1.)

Jonathan Alcantara

In addition to undeniable economic and cultural contributions, the Latino community also participates powerfully in the democratic process. In particular, young Latinos are the fastest-growing demographic of voters, and our voices will shape the future elections. However, targeted voter suppression tactics like disinformation and misinformation, lack of access to absentee ballots, limited early voting, and bans on students using their school IDs at the polls continue to create barriers for young Latino voters.

So, over the past two years, I’ve served as a Sr. Carol Coston Fellow, working with other students and young adults in Wisconsin and across the country to foster a safe environment for civic engagement and support voter registration on our campuses. All of the meaningful conversations I’ve had with my peers on campus and with community leaders show and remind me that our democracy is stronger when we all participate and a lot weaker when we’re separated and pushed out.

Despite the inequalities, political tensions, and fearmongering, our lucha and resilience still define us. Across the nation this month, Latino communities are finding ways to gather and celebrate their heritage while navigating their fears. In cities like Chicago, Madison, and Appleton, Wisconsin, festivals celebrate with live music, dances, and traditional food. They also have workshops and representatives talking about healthcare, business inclusion, and professional leadership.

However, many events have scaled back and have even been postponed because of the possibility of immigration raids, but one thing’s for certain, seguimos unidos y en solidaridad, no matter the obstacles. Our culture is still alive not only in the happy moments but also in times when we must pivot, adapt, and continue showing up for one another through advocacy.

What ties all of this together is the set of values that go with the Latino community. We strongly believe in familia, dignidad, and oportunidad, which are values that anyone, regardless of their background and what they look like, can recognize as important. My Catholic faith reminds me that these are more than just cultural values; they are moral truths: that every person is made in the Imago Dei and deserves respect, freedom, and the chance to grow and thrive, no exceptions. In our faith, we say, cada persona es hijo de Dios, every person is a child of God. And that truth calls us to treat every person with the same dignity and respect.

Looking ahead, I see a hopeful future where our cultura is not only honored by others but fully integrated into the story of this country. A future where Latino students, like me, succeed in college without the barriers that are currently holding us back, where workers earn livable wages that match their contributions to our country, where families can live without the fear of leaving their house for five minutes, and where our voices are fully recognized in the public.

This vision is attainable, and this is why Hispanic Heritage Month matters. Is it about honoring culture? Yes. But it’s also about defending human dignity, expanding and growing economic opportunity, and strengthening our democracy. For me, Hispanic Heritage Month is both personal and shared. This month calls me to remember the resilience of those who came before me and to act with the knowledge of my responsibility for those who will come after me.

This month, I celebrate my heritage not only by remembering the past but by helping build a future where every family, Latino or not, can live, work, and thrive con fe, esperanza y orgullo, no exceptions.

Learn more about NETWORK’s Young Advocates Leadership Lab (Y.A.L.L).